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Christian names starting with B

Browse Christian and biblical names starting with B, with meanings, origins, and faith context.

The Hebrew beth, the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet and the opening letter of Bereshit ("In the beginning"), anchors a small but theologically substantive cluster. Benjamin was Jacob's youngest son, the only one born in the land of Canaan, and the namesake of one of the twelve tribes. Boaz was the wealthy Bethlehem landowner whose marriage to Ruth under the kinsman-redeemer law produced the grandfather of King David.

On the New Testament side, Barnabas, the Cypriot Levite whose name Acts 4:36 translates as "son of encouragement," walked alongside Paul through the first missionary expansion. Bartholomew, one of the twelve apostles, is traditionally identified with Nathaniel of John 1.

Benedict closes the cluster on the saint-tradition side, named for the sixth-century founder of Western monasticism whose Rule shaped European Christian life for fifteen centuries. The B cluster is small in number but carries weight from the patriarchs through the monastic tradition.

5 names Meanings and origins Christian context

Barnabas Barnabas is a New Testament name traditionally explained as son of encouragement. Aramaic, Greek Bartholomew Bartholomew is usually understood as son of Talmai. Aramaic Benedict Benedict is a Latin name meaning blessed or well spoken. Latin Benjamin Benjamin is a Hebrew name usually understood as son of the right hand. Hebrew Boaz Boaz is a Hebrew biblical name often associated with strength. Hebrew

B names in 2026

The B cluster's standout is Benjamin. The youngest son of Jacob has sat in the US Top 10 boys for most of the last decade, currently ranked #11 in the 2025 SSA data, the strongest sustained performance for a B-letter biblical name in modern American naming.

Around him, the cluster sits quietly. Bartholomew and Barnabas hold steady at low frequency, valued more for theological depth than mass appeal. Boaz has crept into the Top 1000 in recent years from outside it. Benedict carries the saint-tradition register at the upper edges of contemporary usage, particularly among Catholic families.